Acts
10:44 ¶ While Peter yet spake these
words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. 45 And they of the circumcision which believed
were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also
was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. 46
For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered
Peter, 47 Can any man forbid water, that
these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
48 And he commanded them to be baptized
in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
Notice how these
believers receive the Holy Ghost in this instance first and then are baptized? Now,
see the baptism that Peter called for with the Jews as they were to repent of
the crime against Christ. Baptism first, then receipt of the Holy Ghost.
Acts
2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent,
and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission
of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
There are commentators
who wish to make a clearer distinction between the two baptisms and declare
that Acts 2 was a baptism of national repentance. I believe that comes from
trying to view the Bible as a set of directions and parsing out minor
variations as significant of a different dispensation. A Jewish or a Gentile
believer today receives the Holy Ghost when they believe and then is baptized
as a public profession of that invisible act.
Luke
23:34a Then said Jesus, Father, forgive
them; for they know not what they do.
Even if Acts 2:38 was
an act of national repentance this does not change the need for every Jew or
Gentile to receive Christ and believe in Him and to trust in His righteousness
and not their own for salvation.
The Jews present responded
to Peter’s sermon were baptized and received the Holy Ghost but was this a
presentation of a strict order of events making their salvation different from
Gentile salvation?
See the order presented
here in the text. First, with Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch there is no
mention of receiving the Holy Ghost but it is assumed.
Acts 8:26 ¶ And the angel
of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the
way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. 27 And he arose
and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great
authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her
treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, 28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot
read Esaias the prophet. 29 Then the
Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. 30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet
Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31 And he said, How can I, except some man
should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
32 The place of the scripture which he
read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb
before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken
away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the
earth. 34 And the eunuch answered
Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself,
or of some other man? 35 Then Philip
opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain
water: and the eunuch said, See, here
is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all
thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ
is the Son of God. 38 And he commanded
the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip
and the eunuch; and he baptized him. 39
And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord
caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way
rejoicing. 40 But Philip was found at
Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.
Then, with the Roman
centurion and company and Peter where it is implied that they believed what
they heard and then they received the Holy Ghost and are then baptized.
Now, do you honestly
think that each of these situations were different in that in one instance you
are baptized then you receive the Holy Ghost after that and yet in another you
get baptized because you believe and it is implied that you received the Holy
Ghost upon belief and in another instance you believe and receive the Holy
Ghost and then are baptized? How many dispensations do you want to create?
Christians often don’t have a problem with belief. They have a problem with
reading comprehension. This is a lot like those people who believe Noah walked
off the Ark with a white son, a black son, and an Asian son when it nowhere
says that but they read back into the text what they want to believe.
Earlier in Acts 8 you
will have people believing and being baptized but not receiving the Holy Ghost
until Peter and John lay hands on them. In Acts 16 Lydia believes and is
baptized but no mention is made of the Holy Ghost. In the same chapter the
jailor believes and is baptized and no mention is made of the Holy Ghost. In
Acts 9 it is implied that Paul believed and then he received the Holy Ghost by
the laying on of hands. In Acts 22 he relates that he was baptized after that. Again,
if you are going to read the Bible like a textbook how many dispensations do
you want to create?
When you get saved it
is because you believed, were given faith, and received the Holy Ghost. At some
point, to fulfill all righteousness as Jesus said, you should get baptized as
an outward manifestation of your inward change and faith.
In any event Jesus
Himself puts the focus on your belief, not your baptism.
Mark 16:16 He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be
damned.
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